My Loyal Yurtlings have been starved, STARVED recently for news of Yurt Progress! Fear not! Your time of depravation is at an end!

Behold this fantastic mockup of the main kitchen counter, compliments of Ikea and Ramblewood!

I already have the solid oak butcher’s block countertop and stainless sink, and the stove is winging its way here even as we speak! I did this mockup in Sketchup to make it easy to try out a few different setups before I start cutting things. So many choices! Should I leave space for a plumbed faucet? For a water jug? Should I seal it permanently with polyseal or Waterlox,or just oil it?

One thing you’ll notice is that the hole for the sink will actually be longer than the counter is deep. Imagine taking that block of wood, rotating it 90 degrees, and tacking it onto the end of the counter to make it longer! I’m also considering the possibility of cutting the counter to match the curvature of the yurt, or maybe just into two or three pieces that meet at slight angle. I’ll be raiding Tiny House design sites for more kitchen ideas before I start sawing.

To begin with I will *not* have running water in the yurt. I’m going to live that way for at least three months and see how it goes. However, I certainly have the option of full plumbing for everything but blackwater, so I definitely intend to leave a spot for a faucet above the sink. In the meantime I’ll be hauling water in and out, so I’ve been researching the most water efficient ways of washing the dishes. While the Two Tubs (or, in my case, two sinks) Method gets the most votes, I’m thinking there may be some joy to be had in taking a cue from the Human Carcass Wash at Poly Paradise at Burning Man and using two different squirt bottles, one for soap and one for rinsing. Actually squeezing the bottles over and over would get old, but if instead I had foot switches for pressurized, high-pressure low-volume spray, like comes out of an airbrush, I think it might revolutionize low-water dishwashing.

I also finished my alpha mods on the wardrobe, which means that tomorrow I’ll finally be ready to take pictures of the interior in its very first “Actually Sort of Looks Good” incarnation!